sysPass: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command
CVE-2026-63725 is a high-severity improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command vulnerability in sysPass from Nuxsmin, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.2 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. Affected sysPass versions: 3.0.0 through 3.2.11. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.44% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of sysPass you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (vulncheck.com).
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 8.6 | High | CNA (vulncheck.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.2 | High | CNA (vulncheck.com) |
Official description
sysPass's FileBackupService::doBackupFiles() in lib/SP/Services/Backup/FileBackupService.php around line 388 builds a tar shell command by string-concatenating the backup directory path $this->path directly into the command line ('tar czf ' . $backupFileApp . ' ' . BASE_PATH . ' --exclude \"' . $this->path . '\" 2>&1') and passes the result to PHP's exec() with no application of escapeshellarg() and no validation of the path against a safe character set. The $this->path value is read from the sysPass configuration, which is persisted in the database and writable through the admin settings API and the admin UI. An administrator (or an attacker who has obtained an admin API token or admin session) can therefore store a backup path containing shell metacharacters and trigger a backup operation to execute arbitrary OS commands as the web server process user (typically www-data or apache). Because sysPass is a password manager whose sole purpose is to hold credentials for other systems, code execution as the web-server user permits reading sysPass's master password and encryption key from memory or configuration files, decrypting every stored credential in the database, exporting the entire password vault, pivoting to internal systems using the disclosed credentials, and installing persistent backdoors on the password-manager host.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command
The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command before it is sent to a downstream component.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- If at all possible, use library calls rather than external processes to recreate the desired functionality.
- For any data that will be used to generate a command to be executed, keep as much of that data out of external control as possible. For example, in web applications, this may require storing the data locally in the session's state instead of sending it out to the client in a hidden form field.
- For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
More Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command vulnerabilities (CWE-78)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other vulnerabilities in sysPass
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.2 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.3 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
Recent Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command vulnerabilities
- 7.3 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.0 High severity
- 8.0 High severity
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